Unwrapping Her Perfect Match

Chapter Two

Oggie went for seven-hundred quid. As he strutted off the stage to the lady who'd bought him, he tossed a smirk over his shoulder that had John imagining all the ways the cocky arsehole could get hurt during their next training session. Not seriously injured, of course. Just bruised enough to need that whisky he was inevitably going to win off John.

The most John had ever raised in this auction was four-hundred pounds. Beating seven hundred? Seriously doubtful when most of the bidders seemed to be waiting for players who hadn't come up for auction yet.

"Next up is the big man himself," said Tess Chambers, who worked for the eco-travel company that sponsored the team. "Don't let his size fool you, ladies and gents. He may make a living out of knocking grown men off their feet, but he's a gentleman down to his massive tippy-toes. And he'd be perfect for any of you who have a ceiling that needs painting."

The crowd chuckled as John stepped forward and stood next to Tess. She was tiny and dark, the complete opposite of her sister. He found Gwen near the back of the crowd, too far away for him to read her. Lights glinted off her hair, creating a halo effect that did funny things to his gut, making it flutter the way it often did before a match. Had he convinced her to spend a little of her own money on him?

Jesus, please don't let me go for less than a hundred quid. His hands squeezed into fists as he waited for the humiliation to begin.

"Can I have an opening bid of two hundred? Two hundred?" Tess called out.

Silence.

"One hundred?" The pitch of her voice went up, making it obvious she sensed the embarrassment he was about to suffer.

Okay, I'll settle for fifty. Don't let me go for less than fifty. Maybe he should've taken a page from Tess's book and given her sister some money to bid on him.

The room was so quiet he could practically hear the snowflakes landing on the pitch outside.

"How about eighty?"

Blood rushed to John's cheeks as the crowd shifted nervously. Never in the history of this auction had a player gone unsold.

"Fif—"

"Five thousand!"

A collective gasp sucked the air from the room. John's breath fled from his lungs as his gaze shot to Gwen. She had to be kidding. Had to. That was the kind of money players like Callaghan drew in, not John.

Tess seemed just as shocked, staring open-mouthed at her sister. That was when it hit him. Gwen had just bid her sister's money on him instead of Callaghan.

He pressed his lips together to contain the laugh threatening to bust out. Color swept across Tess's face as she leaned into the mic. "No...you can't."

Gwen made her way through the guests to the front of the room, her hand still raised to bid. "Five thousand for number five," she repeated, stronger this time.

Tess shot him a pleading look and he shrugged, totally failing to keep from grinning now. "You heard the lady. She obviously knows quality when she sees it."

The crowd laughed. Tess's brows drew together as she glanced at her boyfriend. Callaghan had covered his face with one hand, his head swinging back and forth like he couldn't believe what had just happened. Seeming resigned to his fate of being bought by someone else, he dropped his hand and nodded at Tess.

"Sold," she muttered, and the crowd broke out in a cheer, clapping and whistling.

As Tess announced a brief break in the auction, John jumped from the stage and covered the ground between him and Gwen in two strides. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted and swung her in a circle. Jesus, she felt amazing. Soft and substantial and real. She'd saved him from abject humiliation in front of men who never would have let him forget it. She'd made him look like a god instead. Feel like a god. And now she clung to his biceps, laughing as he swung her around. When he set her down, her bright blue eyes sparkled, and his breath was stolen all over again. He let go of her, but her hands still rested on his arms, burning him like a brand.

"I'd better go pay," she said, "and then I'll need to leave so Tess doesn't kill me before I convince her that this is my Christmas gift."

"Too late." Tess's voice vibrated with annoyance behind Gwen, who winced and slowly turned to face her sister. Tess stood with her hands perched on her hips, lips pursed and brows in a flat, pissed-off line.

John would almost have laughed at how intimidated he was by a woman half his size—except she'd singlehandedly humiliated London's financial services industry, so he knew the power she packed.

"I'll pay you back," Gwen promised.

"You'd better. But not in cash."

Gwen rubbed the corner of her lips. "Uh, any check I write you will bounce harder than a rubber ball."

"Pay me back by going out and having fun." Tess gave him a quick wink, relieving some of the tension from his shoulders. He wasn't going to die today after all. "Make sure you show my sister a good time."

"I promise." Thank God—something he and Tess could agree on. He could hardly wait to get Gwen alone. "I was just about to ask if she's free one night this week."

"Any night but Tuesday," Gwen said. "Tess and I have plans that night."

Tess made an oh-shite face. "Tuesday. That was this Tuesday?"

"Yeah. Why?" Now it was Gwen's turn to perch her hands on her hips. "You didn't."

"I did. I'm really sorry."

"Did what?" John asked. The two sisters seemed to have a private communication system he wasn't privy to.

"I double booked myself. I'm so sorry, Gwenny."

"Can't you cancel your other thing? I paid for our tickets already."

Tess bit her bottom lip, her voice reluctant. "I could cancel—"

"Buuut?"

"But that was the night I was going to do my surprise thing for Liam, and it's the only night this week he can get away from his team commitments."

Inspiration struck John. "I'm free Tuesday night."

Tess wrinkled her nose. "No offense, but I'm not doing my special thing for you."

"No offense, but I'd stop you even if you tried." He turned to Gwen and grazed her elbow with his fingertips. "If you've got a spare ticket for something Tuesday night, I'd love to go with you."

She and Tess exchanged a quick look. "I really don't think—"

"That sounds perfect!" Tess said in a rush. "Cheers, John."

"Tess—"

Tess cocked her brow, and a slow smile spread across Gwen's lips. She straightened her shoulders, and he tried to ignore how the movement made her big breasts look perky. "Okay. It might be kind of fun. How about meeting me at Angel Tube around six thirty?"

"It's a date." She may have bought him, but suddenly he felt like he had won the greatest prize.

It only occurred to John much later, after Gwen had gone home and he'd gone out with the lads, that he had no idea what he'd committed himself to.

Whatever it was, he'd be spending the evening with a beautiful woman, so it couldn't be that bad.

Right?

***

Dear Readers,

Any ideas where they're going on their date? Leave a comment with your ideas! (If you already know, please don't share the answer and spoil it!)

Also, did you know that you that Tess and Liam have their own story? You can buy PLAYING IT CLOSE at these retailers:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1vxXVZS
iBooks: http://bit.ly/ZKjBJb
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Zj8dmJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/ZJV4Us
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1f8zZcj

If you have problems with those links, you can find links on my website: http://katlatham.com/Liam